In the 'Zone

Phoenix is located in south-central Arizona in a place called The Valley of the Sun.  To visitors, it seems like a miles-wide, flat spot from which distant mountains are visible in all directions.  I suppose that makes it a valley, technically.

The area is only 1500 feet above sea level and is sheltered enough and south enough to be dry and warm.  In fact, it is in the Sonora Desert and very hot indeed in the summer.  The predominant foliage is cactus with sprinklings of palms, Green-stick and creosote shrubs and bushes as well as other succulents.  Lawns are considered a bit of an extravagance and many places use landscape fabric covered with a generous helping of pinkish gravel.

As in many dry areas, cars are clean and last for decades.  Because of the reliable weather, the Super Bowl has been played here (last year and this year in the University stadium, which gives you an idea of how seriously schools take there athletic programs.) and it has become a popular place for pro-baseball teams to hold their Spring Training Camps.

Where we’re staying doesn't have cable TV, but relies on rabbit ears to receive over-the-air digital signals.  While this does result in a plethora of choices, it also means that we’re subjected to the vagaries of reception and could not pick up the channel that carried the Super Bowl, going on just a few miles away.

On the plus side, the forecast calls for sunny and 80F for the next five days.